Dutch Black Friday sales rise, but the day itself does not break any sales records

Dutch consumers made more Black Friday purchases this year and increased their spending throughout the week leading into the shopping event, but the day itself did not break previous records, according to new figures from payment system iDEAL and retailer statements.

Consumers completed nearly 6.3 million iDEAL transactions on Black Friday 2025, up from about 5.8 million in 2024. The number, however, remained below the 7.1 million transactions recorded on Black Friday 2023, which still stands as the single-day record. Over the same period, iDEAL separately reported that the full week before Black Friday accounted for 44.1 million online payments, nearly a 5 percent increase from last year.

The latest data show that Dutch shoppers continue to spread out their purchases across longer discount periods, making direct year-to-year comparisons more difficult. Analysts said Black Friday has expanded far beyond a single day, with promotions appearing earlier and lasting longer. Jeroen Blank, a retail consultant at market research firm NIQ, described the shift by saying, “The word Friday can be dropped; it is more Black Week, or even Black November.”

Transaction activity surged early in the week, particularly on Monday and Tuesday, partly because many consumers had received their salaries the prior weekend. In the seven days leading up to Black Friday, Dutch shoppers conducted about 37.8 million iDEAL transactions, compared with roughly 36.3 million in the same period in 2024 and 28.6 million in 2023. iDEAL said that five of the seven days before Black Friday saw more transactions than last year. Week-over-week, online payments increased 4.4 percent.

Retailers also reported modest gains. A MediaMarkt spokesperson said product sales rose about 3 percent compared with the buildup to last year’s Black Friday. Tablets, game consoles, and smartphones remained especially popular.

Cyber Monday is expected to add another wave of high shopping activity, and retailers warned that store traffic likely has not peaked yet. At the same time, ING Bank economist Katinka Jongkind said earlier that higher November sales may come “at the expense of December,” as consumers increasingly delay purchases to take advantage of November discounts.